Ben O’Connell

The figures show that close to 60 per cent of pupils achieved A* to C passes in five or more GCSEs, including English and maths.

Coun Robert Arckless, Northumberland County Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, said: “This is a great achievement. I would like to congratulate all the pupils on their results and thank teachers, support staff and parents for all their hard work.

“They should all feel very proud – and it further reinforces our view that the targeted investment we are putting in to Northumberland schools will help every pupil make the most of their individual talents to set themselves on the path to further success in education, training and employment.

“It was particularly pleasing that some schools which have fought back from weak Ofsted reports are recording continued improvements in their exam grades, while other higher-achieving institutions have built on their earlier success to register even better results.

“We are well aware the job is not complete and the council will constantly strive to ensure all Northumberland pupils have the best possible education.”

Those studying with Northumberland County Council’s adult education service have also had a successful year with more than 60 per cent of learners successfully gaining a grade C or above in English and maths and in other courses achieving 100 per cent success.

The early indications of improved educational outcomes in Northumberland comes as three new school buildings are set to open in Alnwick, Bedlington and Prudhoe. The council also plans to invest a further £57million in new schools and leisure facilities in Ponteland.

Coun Arckless added: “Northumberland County Council is working hard to make great places even better; investing in schools and our young people’s education and their future is a key priority for us.

“We currently have one of the largest capital investment programmes in schools across the UK – investing over £100million to create the best possible environment for our young people to learn and develop the knowledge and skills needed for the future.”